Lap 2- Bet Race Business

"Well, what do we have here?" Don smirked as he leaned back slightly, removing the cigar from his mouth and blowing smoke out of his nostrils like a dragon. "Come to keep me company, sweetheart?" He eyed Destini with interest, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm here to talk money," Destini stated, seating herself across from the man. Don's smirk grew as he reached across the table and firmly grabbed hold of the young woman's shoulder. "Name your price and I'll triple it for a pretty face like yours," the man chuckled as he ran his thumb along her collar bone. Destini wriggled out of Don's grasp and swatted his hand away, glaring at him. "I meant the Bet Race," she snarled. Don let out a deep, throaty laugh. "What do you common folk know about gambling?" He scoffed as he placed the cigar back into his mouth and breathed in deeply. Destini scowled at him and slung her drawstring backpack off of her shoulders and onto the table. She took a quick glance back up at the television screen, which still showed the leaderboard. White Cat had the best odds at 3:1, but the payout wouldn't be too good. Wild Goose was slightly better, with 5:1 odds. The machine with the worst odds was King Meteor, at 150:1. Destini was going to have to go somewhere in the middle...

"50 million on Rainbow Phoenix," The young woman stated as she opened her backpack and fished out the appropriate amount of credits. The odds for Rainbow Phoenix were 10:1; a slight risk with an amazing reward. Don's one visible eye widened slightly for a moment, presumably from surprise, before he smirked once more. "Look sweetheart," Don lowered his voice slightly. "I could give you ten times that if you would-"

Destini cut him off. "Forget it, old man. I'm only here for the Bet Race. What's your bet?"

Don returned the young woman's scowl and placed one of his massive hands onto the table, growling something under his breath that Destini was unable to pick up. Some movement in the shadows caught her eye. There was a young woman around her age who seemed to blend into the darkness with her mostly black ensemble, save for silver armor on her chest and shoulders and a red visor obscuring her eyes. She was tall with red hair that matched her visor and everything about her gave off a serious aura. How Destini didn't notice her earlier she didn't know, but paid this woman no attention as she waited for Don's answer.

"150 million on the Wild Boar."

Destini nearly fell out of her seat. With the Wild Boar's 11:1 odds, she would be set for life if she won the bet. All that had to happen was for Phoenix to win the race, or at the very least place higher than Michael Chain. The odds were very close, so it was no doubt that this would be a very tense Bet Race. Don smirked as he held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?" Destini didn't hesitate for a second to shake on the deal, her small hand almost disappearing in the iron grip of the billionaire's massive hand. "We do," the young woman stated decisively. Don turned to face the television screen, and the Bet Race was going to begin in about a minute. Destini chewed her lip nervously. It was all or nothing. But then a dreadful thought crossed her mind.

What if I lose the bet?

Her eyes widened slightly. If she lost, she owed Don 550 million credits. There's no way she would be able to get her hands on that much money. Well, it would be possible, but she'd be Don's age by the time that would happen. And what would he do to her if he found out she wouldn't be able to pay him? She knew about Don's criminal history. He probably wouldn't hesitate to hurt or even kill a person who couldn't pay a debt. Should she go to the Federation? No, they'd probably be looking for her as well, what with being a thief. Destini felt nothing but dread in her stomach. But of course, there was always the alternative that if Rainbow Phoenix won, Don would be giving her a cool 1.8 billion credits! She'd never have to worry about money again for the rest of her life. Hell, she could have a dozen F-Zero machines constructed! Those thought's put Destini's worried mind at ease, at least for now.

"Ankoku!"

Don's rough voice snapped Destini out of her thoughts. She stared blankly for a moment until she noticed Don had turned his attention to the red haired woman and was smirking at her. Perhaps that's her name?

"Be a dear and go get me a drink."

The woman whom Destini believed to be named Ankoku stepped out of the shadows, revealing her pale complexion that was typical of redheads. "Yes sir," came her flat answer before she walked in the direction of the bar. After a moment of hesitation Destini asked, "Who's she?"

"She just works for me, sweetheart."

Destini pressed her lips together and leaned back in her seat. Not much of an answer, but that wasn't her main concern. The nine competitors were in their starting positions and the Bet Race was about to begin. The three screens appeared above the machines, and the countdown began.

3...

2...

1...

GO!

The Bet Race had begun, and Little Wyvern took the lead. Rainbow Phoenix started off in 4th, and Wild Boar in 5th. Come on Phoenix, live up to your reputation... Destini thought as she watched the red machine's wings fold and unfold every time it hit a boost. The course used for the Bet Race was known simply as Jumps Of Doom. Its main hazards are its frequent 90 degree turns and the many jump plates that would send racers soaring into the air, hence the name. Some machines were simply better than others at handling the corners and jumps than others, and Destini prayed that Rainbow Phoenix would be able to outperform Wild Boar in those aspects. Just watching the nine racers battle for first place was exhilarating. Destini felt another twinge of nervousness in her stomach as she remembered that this race could make or break her potential racing career.

Rainbow Phoenix gave the Crazy Bear a hard side attack, but thankfully the yellow machine's strong body was able to take the hit. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for its grip as the Bear lost control, ramming into several walls and leaving Dr. Clash in last place as the Rainbow pulled into second. Though he appeared passive, Don tightened his grip on the drink that had been brought to him. Wild Boar was still in 5th place, but it was obvious that Michael Chain was attempting to pull ahead. He seemed to be in a tussle with the Groovy Taxi as they both fought for 4th place, but the Boar proved to be the stronger of two as it pushed the Taxi aside, leaving PJ stuck in the dirt. All that stood between the Rainbow and the Boar was White Cat, and Super Piranha had pulled ahead of everyone else and lead the pack.

Lap 2 began, and the racers were now allowed to use their boost power. But racers had to be careful- excessive use of boost could cause a machine's engine to overheat, which would be severely detrimental to its performance. Super Piranha boosted a few times in an effort to stay ahead of the pack, but Rainbow Phoenix was able to stay on the blue and red machine's tail fairly easily, taking a few of the course's namesake jumps in an attempt to steal the lead. After a few tries Phoenix was successful as he practically landed on top of the Piranha, gaining speed from the impact before firing up a boost to cement his position in first place. Now it was Destini's turn to smirk, although Don was paying her no attention. She could vaguely hear him cursing Phoenix as well as Michael Chain under his breath, and Ankoku stood by his side, silent and attentive. The red haired woman glanced at Destini for a moment before turning her attention back to the screen.

"Yeah! The final lap!" Mr. Zero, enthusiastic as always, cheered as the nine racers crossed the finish for the second last time. Destini clenched her teeth slightly and said a silent prayer to whoever was listening that the Rainbow Phoenix would be able to hold its lead in spite of having both the Super Piranha and White Cat on its tail. You can't fail now, Phoenix... Destini thought. Though the fact that Wild Boar was rapidly approaching left worry gnawing at her mind. The only thing that seemed to be slowing the orange machine down was the frequent sharp turns. Destini was starting to wish she had someone who could fetch her a drink on command. Alcohol would probably be able to calm her nerves. But her worries were about to get much worse.

The racers were on the final stretch of the course. Rainbow Phoenix looked like it would place either first or second, until the White Cat hit both the Rainbow and Piranha with a well timed spin attack. Rainbow Phoenix was slammed against a wall, slowing it down much more than the Cat and Piranha had been slowed. Destini felt her heart sink as the Wild Boar seized the opportunity and boosted its way to victory, leaving Phoenix to finish in 5th place.

How could this happen?

She was brought back to reality by the sound of Don's triumphant laughter. "Now that was a comeback if I've ever seen one!" The billionaire snickered as he turned around to face Destini once again. "Ready to pay up, sweetheart?"

The young woman stayed silent. The only sound was the dozens of other conversations going on around the trio. "Well?" Don asked, tilting his head slightly as his patience was beginning to wear thin.

Destini looked down, a pit of dread in her stomach. "I... I don't... have it," she said quietly.

"What? Speak up! I can't hear a thing you're saying, sweetheart!" Don demanded, impatience bleeding into his voice. But Destini couldn't bring herself to say it again. It was rare for her to feel full blown fear; she loved feeling the rush of doing something that many would consider frightening. But now, faced with someone who was infinitely more powerful than her, literally and figuratively, she couldn't stop herself from shaking in her boots. What would happen to her? Destini felt as if her life could very well be in danger as a result of all this.

Ankoku spoke up, saying the words that Destini could not. "She doesn't have the money to pay you, sir."

"You what? How much do you have in here?" Don demanded as he grabbed Destini's bag and rummaged through it. "Only 84 million?" Don growled, glaring at the young woman with his one visible eye. "And people wonder why I think common folk shouldn't gamble!" He handed the bag to Ankoku, who took it without a question. "This is mine now. Take it!" he instructed. Destini sprung to life, lunging at the red haired woman in an attempt to get her bag back. "Give me that!" she demanded. Ankoku slammed her forearm into Destini's chest, causing her to lose her balance and trip backwards over the chair she was sitting in. The chair crashed loudly on the polished floor, Destini quickly following suit. The whole bar went so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Ankoku stepped back to allow Don to stand over Destini. He held his gold cane inches from her face to prevent her from getting up.

"You owe me!" he spat before turning to leave, his attendant following close behind.

(A/N: I want to give a huge shoutout to Captaina Zelda for letting me add in her OC, this mysterious woman known as Ankoku! I'd give her a cookie for that if I could)